Interactive Read Aloud

Interactive Read-Alouds

As the name applies, a "Read Aloud" is when someone reads a story, book of fiction, news article, picture book, essay, poem, or trade book to another person. This practice helps facilitate the development of vocabulary knowledge, focused listening skills, and critical thinking skills of children. In an “Interactive Read Aloud”, teachers verbally interact with students before, during and after reading to help them understand and make a variety of connections with the read-aloud selection. During an interactive read-aloud, the teacher engages in a series of activities, including: pre-viewing the book; asking students to make predictions and connections to prior knowledge; stopping at purposeful moments to emphasize story elements; asking guiding questions or focus questions; and using oral or written responses to bring closure to the selection.